Today, we know that L. acidophilus bacteria are the normal and protective inhabitants of vaginal membranes. But it took the early 1920′s research of Dr. R. Schroder to realize how important the right acid/alkaline balance or “pH” is to the vagina along with the presence of beneficial bacteria that produce germ-killing hydrogen peroxide. Wondering why some women had vaginitis and others didn’t, Dr. Schroder was able to divide participants into one of three groups (Trenev 1998). The first group constituted 40% percent of those in the study. These women did not have vaginitis, had acidic pH readings in the range of 4 or lower, and their vaginal membranes contained mostly hydrogen peroxide producing L. acidophilus bacteria. The second group comprised 18% percent of all study participants and showed a combination of L. acidophilus bacteria, pathogenic germs, and yeast organisms. These women had some vaginal inflammation, but it was not excessive. The remaining 42% percent had high
-alkaline vaginal secretions along with varying degrees of vaginitis. Vaginal secretions in this group harbored a vast number of harmful germs including diptheroids, streptococci, and micrococci microorganisms. Dr. Schroder noted low levels of hydrogen peroxide producing L. acidophilus bacteria in the vaginal secretions of these women. There was a definite correlation between the lack of L. acidophilus bacteria and high incidence of vaginitis. A 1960 report in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology provided more scientific evidence that when women used L. acidophilus capsules as vaginal inserts, pathogenic germs such as staphylococcus, streptococcus, and diplococcus were replaced by the L. acidophilus bacteria. The pH of the vaginal area shifted from an alkaline level of 5 or 6 to a more acidic level of 4. The symptoms of vaginitis were promptly relieved and did not reoccur as long as the women continued to use the L. acidophilus inserts (Butler). Figure 1 shows t
he effects of L. acidophilus on different types of vaginitis from this study.More recent research published in the Reviews of Infectious Diseases during 1990 from the Wayne State University School of Medicine emphasizes that vaginal L. acidophilus bacteria play an important role in producing anti-microbial substances to keep the vagina healthy. Dr. S.J. Klebanoff of the Department of Medicine at the University of Washington found that hydrogen peroxide producing lactobacteria may help defeat the HIV virus (1991). Dr. Klebanoff also says women who have low levels of hydrogen peroxide producing lactobacilli in their genital tracts are more likely to contract sexually transmitted diseases. Perhaps now you can understand why it is important to maintain the proper micro flora balance in the vaginal environment – one that will produce the right amount of hydrogen peroxide in the genital tract. (However, never douche with medicinal or hair product hydrogen peroxide because these co
ncentrations can damage human cells anywhere in the body). Once yeast overgrowth has been controlled with a bioadaptable form of hydrogen peroxide produced by L. acidophilus, inflammation will subside in a reasonable period of time.